Firefly July: A Year of Very Short Poems

Firefly July: A Year of Very Short Poems
Selected by Paul Janeczko
Illustrated by Melissa Sweet
Candlewick, 2014. Poetry 47p.

Paul Janeczko is one of the leading current children's poets and he is coming to the Provo Library in July as part of the BYU Books for Young Readers event. This is his latest publication, a collection of short poems related to the seasons. The poems are by a variety of well known authors, both modern and traditional, including Patrick Lewis, Emily Dickinson, James Stevenson, Robert Frost and others. All of the poems are well written, some in free verse and others rhyming, and none are more than eight lines long. Ms Sweet's mixed media illustrations match the mood of each poem, but also unify the collection a little because they are of similar style and energy. Because the poems are short and the illustrations are lively, this is a great book to use to introduce even reluctant readers to some of the best known children's poets.

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